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Sebum
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Sebum is the product of the sebaceous gland, the gland that produces the skin's oil. And it is no small matter: it supplies ninety percent of the lipids, that is, the fats, found on the surface of the skin.
It is not pure fat. Along with cell debris and lipids, sebum carries antimicrobial substances, which keep microbes in check; free fatty acids; and matrix metalloproteinases, which are enzymes.
All of that, together with the formation of a lipid film, a thin layer of fat that covers the skin, helps protect the skin from outside insults.
Think of a layer of oil that covers the surface and helps shield it from what is outside. At puberty, androgens, the hormones that rise at that stage, stimulate the gland to produce more sebum.
In brief
Sebum is the product of the sebaceous gland and supplies ninety percent of the lipids on the skin surface.
Along with cell debris and lipids, it carries antimicrobial substances, free fatty acids, and metalloproteinases.
These components, together with the formation of a skin lipid film, help protect the skin from outside insults.
A layer of oil covering the surface, helping shield it from what is outside.
At puberty, high androgen levels stimulate the gland to produce more sebum.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Sebaceous Glands, StatPearlsPublished
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